Lavaca officials identify man beaten to death by father of molested girl

By Carolina Astrain
June 15, 2012 at 1:15 a.m.Updated June 16, 2012 at 1:16 a.m.

Lavaca County authorities on Friday identified the 47-year-old man who was caught molesting a girl and then beaten to death by the child's father.

Jesus Mora Flores was killed on the afternoon of June 9 on a rural farm pasture on County Road 302 between Shiner and Yoakum.

In a press release issued Friday, authorities said Flores was attempting to sexually assault the girl, whose age was corrected by officials Friday to be 5 years old.

"When emergency medical personnel arrived, Jesus Mora Flores' pants and underwear were down and the man's genitals were exposed," said Lavaca County Sheriff Micah Harmon, who was quoted in a press released issued by District Attorney Heather McMinn.

Flores had been hired by the child's father to care for horses on the property, according to a neighbor.

A public records search shows no permanent address for Flores in Lavaca County.

The press release also confirms that law enforcement officials discovered a witness to the attacks, but does not identify that person.

Investigators found that "a witness observed Jesus Mora Flores forcibly carrying a 5-year-old child off to a secluded area, the witness ran for help and alerted the child's father."

The father then heard the child's scream and ran to help her, the release said. The father then "immediately removed Jesus Mora Flores from on top of his child" and inflicted "several blows" to the man's head and neck area.

The release stated that all of the physical evidence and witness statements in the case corroborated the father's statement.

Harmon said Flores was not in the United States illegally and possessed a permanent resident card - more widely known as a green card.

The sheriff said his office has been working with Mexican Consulate officials to locate Flores' family.

Complete results of the autopsy conducted in Travis County are not expected for several weeks.

Harmon said the girl's family and father have cooperated with authorities.

McMinn said in the press release that Harmon "made the right decision in not arresting the father at the time of the incident."

The girl's father remains remorseful about Flores' death, said Harmon, who said he expects a grand jury to hear the case next week.

"This case has been very traumatizing on the child, her father and his entire family," he said.